Labels
by AGirlNamedEd
Summary: For some people, labels don't matter. But for those they matter to, they tend to matter a lot.


**I wrote this as a Christmas present for DanHasOTPs! He'd asked for something fluffy about Tien/Yamcha/Raditz and gender/sexuality headcanons.**

 **Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy it! I'm always open to feedback if you have any.**

* * *

"I'm asexual."

Tenshinhan kept his arms folded and his eyes firmly locked on Yamcha's. He tried not to show how much he was shaking. He'd fought monsters and demons. He'd watched his closest friend, the one person he could really call family, die in front of him. He'd had his entire world shaken out from under him more times than he could count. But all of those experiences paled in comparison to the unrelenting fear that gripped him while he came out to the man he was in love with.

Yamcha, for his part, blinked owlishly at him for a moment. Just when Tenshinhan was starting to think his words hadn't registered at all, his face broke into a grin. "Hi, asexual," he said, holding out his hand as though to offer a handshake. "I'm bisexual. Nice to meet you."

* * *

As it turned out, there wasn't much to worry about when it came to coming out to Yamcha. He listened to Tenshinhan's explanation of what it meant to be asexual and homoromantic, nodded, asked if he wanted a hug. And even though he hadn't been able to actually tell Yamcha all that he had to confess, he felt better knowing that he'd at least been able to come out. Now, when he actually worked up the courage to tell Yamcha how he felt, it wouldn't come as a total shock.

* * *

"You…what?"

Tenshinhan's eyes widened, heart racing as he turned Yamcha's words over and over in his mind. He hadn't really just said that. There was no way he could have—

"I love you."

Yamcha's clutched at his arms, hugging them to himself. He looked like he was on the edge of tears. "I've known for a while," he said, voice choked. "But I—I didn't want to say anything. Yeah, you like guys, but I didn't—I didn't want to assume that—I—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything—"

"Can I give you a hug?" Tenshinhan blurted. His face flushed as he remembered Yamcha asking him the same question not two months ago when he first came out.

Evidently Yamcha remembered that conversation too, because his face lit up and he launched himself into Tenshinhan's arms. Tenshinhan held him tight and buried his face in his hair and felt like he was going to burst into tears himself.

* * *

"I don't get it."

Tenshinhan shook his head. It had been three years since Raditz first came to Earth, three years since he agreed to help stop Vegeta and Nappa from taking over the planet. In that time, there had been a lot that the humans of their group had tried to explain to him, with mixed levels of success. Gohan had more or less gotten him used to socializing with children, and Krillin had taught him the basics of how their society worked. But there was still a lot he struggled with, including (but not limited to) grocery stores, the fragility and sanctity of life, other people's opinions and why it's okay that they're different from Raditz's, and, of all things, sexuality.

"I don't see what there is to not get." Yamcha sat in front of Raditz, legs folded under him. "Not everyone experiences the same kind of attraction. So we have words to differentiate."

Raditz snorted. "Barbaric. In Frieza's army, there was none of that. There was attracted, and there was not attracted."

"It's more complicated than that." Yamcha shrugged. "Take me, for example. I like men and women. Krillin only likes women. Tenshinhan only likes men. Goku doesn't seem to care about gender, but that's a whole can of worms I don't want to get into."

"Can of worms?" Raditz's eyebrows squished together in confused disgust. "What do worms have to do with it?"

Despite himself, Tenshinhan felt a smile on his face. Raditz was, if nothing else, a great source of entertainment.

"Never mind. Look at it this way. Is there a pattern to what gender of people you get attracted to?"

"Gender really doesn't have much meaning in space." Raditz shrugged. "Like I said, attracted and not attracted. There's no in between."

Yamcha nodded. "Maybe you're pansexual, then."

"I don't see why you need to label me," Raditz complained. "You people are always so concerned with labels. Relax."

"Sometimes labels can help," Tenshinhan said. Raditz turned to look at him and he felt his face heat. "I mean…knowing that there was a word for my feelings made me more comfortable accepting them."

"Well, I don't need that." Raditz scratched his nose. "I'm attracted to you two, and that's enough for me."

Wait.

What?

"Y-you—" Yamcha sputtered, clearly having the same thoughts as Tenshinhan. "You like…both of us?"

"Sure, why not?" He flashed them both a cheeky grin. "Got a label for _that_?"

"P-polyamorous," Tenshinhan stammered, "but—"

"But nothing. I know you guys are in a relationship, but I figured I'd put myself out there and see if you had room for one more." He shrugged casually, but Tenshinhan could see he was nervous from the beat of his tail against his leg. "So, what do you think?"

Tenshinhan looked at Yamcha and thought about when he'd first come out to Yamcha, how he'd felt when Yamcha didn't reject him. He looked at Raditz and thought about how he'd been having to push away thoughts of him bundled together between Raditz and Yamcha more and more lately. He swallowed and grabbed Yamcha's hand, then Raditz's.

When Yamcha looked at him, he grinned shakily. "I think we should give it a try."


End file.
